How does one even begin to describe what Hollywood nightlife was like during the early to mid-aughts? According to stylist and designer Rachel Zoe, “The party scene was everything.” Ask Brent Bolthouse, founder of Bolthouse Productions and Bungalow Hospitality Group, and he’ll tell you, “Celebrities were coming to these parties because they were actually fun.” Whether you were ordering bottle service or just living vicariously through the cast of The Hills, go back in time and behind the scenes of the scene with Derek C. Blasberg’s oral history of LA nightlife in the early 2000s.
Elsewhere, a brief history of Donald Trump insulting women; how the Joyce Carol Oates caused an Elon Musk meltdown; and the YouTube videos our current cover stars keep revisiting. More tomorrow… |
MAGGIE COUGHLAN,
SENIOR EDITOR |
Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Nicole Richie owned the era when going out in Hollywood was actually fun. For the 2026 Hollywood Issue, Vanity Fair’s Derek C. Blasberg lifts the velvet rope to let readers behind the scenes of the scene, covering everything from where Paris and Nicole had wars to the Instagram before Instagram and you-had-to-be-there pop-up shows: “Prince would come in and just start playing a random solo show at Teddy’s until four or five in the morning, just because he felt like it, right? And these things were regular occurrences.” |
|
|
The president recently revisited one of his favorite insults for women he doesn’t like, snapping, “Quiet, piggy,” at a female reporter who dared to ask a question about Jeffrey Epstein. |
The legendary writer used one of her favorite pastimes to bash Elon Musk on his own platform, causing Musk to crash out—and completing Oates’s own Twitter redemption arc. |
|
|
For their favorite YouTube video selections, Jordan and Butler got sentimental, sharing clips to which they had a personal connection. But before things got too emotional, Mescal lightened the mood with his choice: a supercut of bloopers from The Office. The men went on to discuss when they’re most likely to break while shooting a scene. |
|
|
|
